Heat exchanger



J. A. PQTTER July 1, 1930.

HEAT BXCHANGER Filed Aug. 8, 1927 atented July 1, 1930 I JOHN A. POTTER,OF ROSELLE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TOFOSTER WHEELER CORPO- RATION, OF NEWYORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK HEAT EXCHANGER Application filedAugust 8,1927. Serial No. 211,315.

My present invention relates to a heat exchanger in any one of thevarious forms in which such devices are commonly employed in the art,for example by including a shell, bundles of tubes within the shell,

an auxiliary in refining petroleum, or forexample in power plants forcondensers, feed-water heaters and the like.

In this type of apparatus as I am aware, it has been more or lesscustomary to employ a bafiie plate within the shell and adjacent theinlet opening for the incoming fluid. These baflie plates, however, havemerely been employed to separate or spread the fluid rather than toshield the adjacent portions of the tubes and to direct the flow of thefluid so that the incoming fluid in the use of baflle plates asordinarily employed is not so directed to the tubes as to obtain thegreatest efficiency in effecting the transfer of the heat from onemedium to another.

The apparatus made in accordance with the present invention whileparticularly adapted for use in the petroleum industry, is,

of course, not limited to such a use, 'and is designed to protect thetubes at the point at which the medium admitted to the interior of theshell enters the same, and to cause this medium to pass to one end ofthe space within the shell and to then be deflected and .directed to thebeginning of its path of flow through the space in the shell. To thisend the invention more particularly relates to a shield and'deflectorwhich is emplo ed in conjunction with a baflile plate in sue a mannerthat the medium passing into the shellof the exchanger is directedtoward the tube plate at one end thereof and then deflected so as tochange its course and to pass between and among the tubes in startingits flow through the apparatus,

whereby substantiallyall the tube surface 1setlectively utilized in theexchange of heat between the medium passing through the tubes and themedium passing'through the shell, as will be hereinafter moreparticularly described.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a partial elevation and central longitudinalsection illustrating a heat exchanger made in accordance with thisinvention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a part'of the tube shield and flowdirector to which the invention particularly relates, and

Fig. 3 is a perspective view on. an enlarged scale showing the use ofthe tube shield and flow director.

Referring to the drawing the heat exchanger as therein illustratedembodying the present invention includes a shell 10 constructed in acustomary manner to inelude a nozzle 11 for the admission of a fluid orother medium to the interior of the shell and a nozzle 12 for thedischarge of a .circulating medium from the shell, and suitable flangesat the end of the shell one of the end flanges being indicated at 13.The nozzles 11 and 12 forming the admission and discharge or inlet andoutlet connections for the fluid or other medium are preferably inoppositely disposed positions and adjacent one end of the shell.Connected to this end of the shell there is a tube plate 14 and a box 15foranother fluid or other medium, together with a cover or bonnet l6.These parts are connected to each other and to the shell by any suitablemeans. The box 15 provided with a suitable nozzles 17 and 18 preferablyin oppositely disposed positions to form inlet and outlet connectionsfor the said second medium as the same is admitted to and dischargedfrom the. box which interiorly, as

tudinally disposed baflle 22 placed in a central position and extendingfrom the tube plate 13 to a point adjacent the oppositely disposed tubeplate, it being understood that the ends of the tubes at the oppositeend of the apparatus are fixed in a floating head or tube platewhereby'the tubes as a bundle or a plurality of bundles may be removedas a unit from the shell. Adjacent the inlet and outlet connections theshell is also provided with a transverse baflie 23 arid in suitablyspaced positions with other transverse baflles as indicated at 24 forthe purpose of directing the flow of the medium which passes through thespace in the shell of the apparatus.

The bafll'es 24 are provided with apertures 24 through which certaintubes pass. The apertures 24' are preferably staggered in adjacentbafiles to prevent a direct flow of the fluid through one baflie to thenext.

The invention in the present case relates more particularly to a shieldand medium flow director which as'illustrated in these figures of thedrawing may comprise oppositely disposed semi-cylindrical me bers 25 and26. The member 25 for example is provided with side flanges 27 and 28adapted to rest upon the adjacent surface of the longitudinal baflie 22and to be secured thereto by means of clamps or cleats 29, 30 engagingthe flange 27, and similar clamps or cleats 31, '32 engaging the flange28. This semi-cylindrical member extends across the admission or inletopening and at one end is adapted to make a tight joint with theadjacent surface of the transverse baffle 23, while at the opposite endit terminates an appreciable distance from the end of the shell and theinner faceof the tube plate 14. The cylindrical member 26 is similarlyconstructed and is secured to the opposite face of the longitudinalbaflle 22 in a similar manner so as to extend across the outlet ordischarge opening and at. one end to make a relatively tight joint withthe adjacent surface of the transverse baffle 23 while at the other endit terminates an appreciable distance from the end of the shell and theadja'cent inner face of the tube plate.

' As will now be. understood, one fluid or other medium is caused toflow to and through the tubes by being admitted for example to the box15, through the inlet connection 17, passing thence to the tubes 21 tothe box at the other end of the apparatus,

and then in the opposite direction through the tubes 20 to the box 15and out of the same by way of the discharge or outlet connection 18. Theother fluid or medium to or from which heat is to be exchanged passesinto the shell by the inlet or admission nozzle 11 and then is deflectedby the semicylindrical' member toward the adjacent tube plate when itscourse is directed to the plate and thence as its-course is changed iscaused to flow from the shell by way of the outlet or dischargeconnection 12. It will thus be understood that a maximum contact betweenthe medium flowing through the shell and the tubes is effected to obtaina maximum heat transfer between this medium and that passing through thetubes.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a heat exchanger, a shell, a tube plate, a plurality of tubes eachconnected at one end in the said tube plate, a centrally disposedlongitudinal baiile, a plurality of transverse baflles extending acrossthe shell, admission and discharge connections in correspondingpositions on opposite sides at the same end of the said shell andbetween the tube plate and the transverse bafile next adjacent the same,and a tube shield and fluid flow director lying entirely within theshell and extending across the admission connection and from the saidtransverse baflle next adjacent the tube plate toward the tube plate,the said tube shield and fluid flow director also surrounding the saidtubes on the inlet side of the longitudinal bafile and being connectedto the longitudinal bafile whereby the flow of an incoming fluid isdirected first toward thetube plate and then through the shield andbetween the tubes 1 admission connection and from the transverse bafilenearest the tube plate towardthe tube plate, and a second tube shieldand flow director extending across the discharge connection and from thesaid transverse baflle nearest the tube plate toward the tube plate, thesaid tube shield and fluid flow directors being connected to the saidlongitudinal baffle whereby the flow of an incoming fluid is directedtoward the tube plate and then through the first aforesaid shield andthe outgoing fluid is directed-toward the tube plate and thence tothedischarge connection.

'3. In a heat exchanger, a-shell, a tube plate, a plurality of tubeseach connected at, one end in the said tube plate, a series oftransverse baflies, a longitudinal baffle, admission and dischargeconnections in oppositely disposed positions on the shell and lyingbetween the tube plate and the said transverse bafile next adjacentthereto, and a tube shield and fluid flow director lying wholly withinthe shell extending across the admission and discharge connections andassociated with the said longitudinal bafiie for directing an incomingfluid toward the tube plate and then to the space between the tubes anddirecting the outgoing fluid toward the tube plateand thence, to thedischarge connection. 7 v

Signed by me this 28th day of July, 1927 s JOHN A. POTTER.

